With the health ministry apparently dragging its feet over stopping manufacture of substandard drugs, the High Court yesterday directed the government to halt production of 20 companies within seven days.

The High Court today rejected a writ petition seeking its directive upon the government to arrest in 24 hours the killers of Comilla Victoria College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu , who was found murdered in Comilla cantonment area on March 20.

The Supreme Court yesterday expressed dismay at the government's unwillingness to implement the 15 directives issued by the High Court 13 years ago to stop policemen making arbitrary arrests on suspicion and torturing arrestees on remand.

The High Court yesterday directed the industries secretary to submit before it within three weeks the list of names and addresses of the businessmen who are still running their tanneries at Hazaribagh in the capital.

The High Court yesterday set May 5 for delivering its judgement on a writ petition that challenged the legality of the 16th constitutional amendment empowering parliament to impeach Supreme Court judges for incapacity or misconduct.

The High Court yesterday upheld death penalty of three Huji members, including its chief Mufti Abdul Hannan, and life imprisonment of two others over the 2004 grenade attack on the then UK envoy in Bangladesh.

The High Court yesterday set February 11 for delivering a verdict on appeals by three condemned militants of Huji, including its chief, in a case filed over the grenade attack on the then British envoy in 2004.